Randy Couture, Spike TV announce deal

UFC Hall-of-Famer and former light heavyweight/heavyweight champion Randy Couture has signed a deal with Spike TV and will be part of their 2013 reality TV show product with Bellator MMA.

Sports Illustrated writer Loretta Hunt confirmed the story with several sources and said that Couture's deal is for multiple years and could involve his presence on several different types of ventures.

He will begin as a coach on the upcoming Bellator reality series that begins shooting in February. Couture was a coach on the very first season of UFC's The Ultimate Fighter back in 2005.

So how will UFC president Dana White react? In the Hunt article, we got some insight into that:Sources told SI.com that the deal with Spike and Viacom was executed in late December, much to the disapproval of Couture's former employer, UFC president Dana White. Since his retirement in April 2011 at age 47, Couture has turned his attention to Hollywood with supporting roles in The Expendables and its summer 2012 sequel, and had most recently served as an on-camera analyst for the UFC's live events on Fox. However, Couture was absent from the UFC on Fox 6 broadcast on Jan. 26, replaced by one-time teammate Chael Sonnen.

There is a press conference scheduled for Tuesday at 2 PM EST in California with more details expected to be announced.